Calamitous
by whinychester
Summary: "what is depression like?" he asked, frowning. she sighed, "it's-it's like drowning. but you can see everyone else around you breathing."
1. one

Everything you run away from is in your head. At least, that's what they say. However, this was extremely true for Rory, for she was forever wishing to get away. Rory was utterly isolated, made rash decisions and would hardly think before she spoke. In the late evening of October, her parents had presumed she was depressed, seeing as she spent most of her evenings at _Topped Off,_ read the same book over and over again, and listened to music that was replayed so often she nearly forgot that there were other songs that existed in the world. But this was alright, since Rory hardly spoke, attempted to smile and be as happy as she could and nobody could hear the tunes playing in her ears.

On the second Sunday of the month of November, Rory sat in her usual spot. She took a quick sip from the coffee she had ordered and attempted to unwrap the foil surrounding her sandwich. Some of the mayonnaise had spilled out and she swiftly removed it with a swipe of her finger, licking it off the tip. It was cold that evening and Rory was grateful she had chosen the seat beside the window. She looked out of it, frost delicately staining the glass as the leaves were just beginning to fall. The sky was a pale colour with mixes of different hues and the forecast predicted rain. Rory loved the rain. She loved the smell in the atmosphere before and after the storm and attempted to ignore the melancholy feeling brought along with it.

As she dug into her sandwich she changed the song blasting through her headphones from her iPod and hummed along to the lyrics; she would tend to mime the choruses if she knew the lyrics and would find some sort of happiness in doing so. The only thing that seemed to intrigue her was humming along to _Sweater Weather_ and reading _Gone Girl_ in the comfort of her room.

However, she felt as if something were off about that day. Staring down at her half-eaten sandwich, she quickly paused her music, looking around curiously. Not seeing anything out of the ordinary, she resumed the music and delved into her pumpkin-chocolate bread.

Rory's sixth sense wasn't off in the least, needless to say. In fact, it was quite spoton. Standing outside the quaint coffee shop was a trio of men. The tallest of the three was arguing with the dark-blond headed one whilst the last was staring into the window of _Topped Off._ Dark lashes framed his blue eyes as he continued to stare intently at the girl sitting beside the window. There was something off about her. Just the way she bobbed her head to the music and how her lips delicately framed words in a soft tone was not like the others.

"Dammit, Sam - all these leads are faulty," Dean - the blond one - argued. "I'm no psychologist but I bet that redhaired brat-"

"His name is Mark, Dean." Sighed the taller one.

"Whatever. He just crazy. It's called a mental ward for a reason - maybe he's the one who killed his parents and all those people-"

Sam, once again, spoke in the calm tone Castiel - blue-eyed stranger - was all too familiar with. These arguments between the two brothers were normal to Cas. He continued to watch unknown coffee shop girl as she ate, casually looking away every now and then she would glance his way.

"No one would kill their own parents if they were sane. He could have been possessed," Sam suggested.

Dean scoffed. "What do you think, Cas?"

The question flew over Castiel's head - he continued to stare intently at the girl, who was now scrolling through something on her phone. Something was off about her. He didn't know what it was, but it bothered him needless to say.

"Cas," Dean said again, shaking him this time. Castiel glanced back at him.

"What is it, Dean?" he asked gruffly.

Dean exchanged a look with Sam before saying, "what do you think?"

Castiel frowned. "What do I think about what?"

Dean sighed while Sam glanced at the confused man before looking into the coffee shop. "Is something there?" he asked. "A demon?"

The blue-eyed angel shook his head, looking back into the coffee shop. "No… no demon." The girl had disappeared from her seat. Alarmed, Castiel attempted to search her out past the other customers present. With the jingle of the bell on the door, she appeared, tucking a loose strand of hair behind her ear. She buried herself deeper into the thick scarf wrapped around her neck as she shuffled past the three, not looking up at either of them as she continued to stare at her phone.

Castiel continued to watch her until she finally disappeared around the corner. The sound of a low whistle coming from Dean caused him to glare at the older Winchester brother. Dean smirked, stuffing his hands in the pockets of his jacket.

"I'll give it to you, she's cute-hey!" Dean snapped as Sam elbowed him harshly on the side. Sam made a gesture, as if telling Dean 'shut-the-hell-up' as the two brothers looked back at Castiel.

Castiel sighed. "It's not like that, Dean."

"Sureeeee." Dean dragged out the 'e' as he quickly clicked his tongue against the roof of his mouth. After meeting the usual vacant look of Castiel, he sighed, glancing back at the shop the girl had retreated from. He squinted up at the sign which was written in pale gold lettering. _"Topped Off?"_ he read. "Sounds like some sort of rejected sex club."

Sam sighed once again, glancing back at Castiel. "Is there something wrong with her?" he asked. "The girl," he added when the angel gave him another confused look, "is she… a demon?"

"No," Castiel responded after a few moments of hesitation. "She isn't a demon."

"Well, then what is she?" Dean inquired.

"She's different." Castiel couldn't quite put it into words. He recalled the various days he had spotted her sitting in her usual spot at the coffee shop - not only did she seem to listen to the same songs, but she ordered the same thing over and over again. Not like Cas was one to judge - he honestly couldn't care less what she ate - but the way she went about doing little things wasn't like the others.

One of his favourite pastimes - although he would never mention to the Winchesters - was to sit in a park, appearing invisible to the others as he watched everyone go about their own business. He was fascinated at how humans carried themselves, but one thing was common in all of them; they were genuinely happy at some point. He recalled how the younger kids would laugh and jump around on the playground, chasing each other with sticks and doing other things Castiel found strange. He remembered how the mothers would just sigh, shaking their heads, looking tired yet the smiles shone in their eyes as they watched their children.

The girl, however, would sit by herself. The only time she moved her lips was when she would hum along to the songs playing from her headphones or when someone she knew would approach her first, exchanging hellos and smiles.

Discernation loomed upon him in that moment. The artificial way she smiled back at her acquaintances was all too different from the ladies in the park and the children on the playground. It was actually quite similar to the way Dean and Sam would smile every now and then. It was forced.

"Cas?" Dean asked, shaking his shoulder. Castiel glanced at him, meeting his gaze evenly. "Are you sure it's okay?"

"Everything's fine, Dean," Castiel said exasperatedly, looking away from either of the Winchesters. He started forward, not looking back as he added, "I will be back momentarily."

"Where are you going?" Sam inquired.

Castiel stopped, staring at the cinereal, cemented pavement of the street. "I'll be back," he repeated once more before disappearing in a flutter of wings before either of the Winchesters could object.

His mind was jumbled up and he didn't quite understand why. Every time he looked at the girl he became more determined in finding out why she faked her happiness. Although he and his brothers attempted to avoid emotions as best as they could, he remembered the feeling his vessel had when eating the hamburgers the day Famine came into town. Castiel knew he didn't know the girl personally, but he did believe that no one should fabricate their happiness if the feeling isn't completely honest and true.

He was determined to find out why.


	2. two

Rory fumbled with her keys absentmindedly as her head seemed to cloud with different thoughts. Finally, she was able to slam the metal into the keyhole, gaining access to her apartment. It wasn't as homey as she wished it could be, but then again, she was jobless and could barely scrape off enough cash to pay her monthly rent. She threw her bag carelessly onto the dark red (mahogany, she'd like to say if she wanted to be artsy in a pretentious way) sofa off to the side and took the headphones out of her ears and disconnected it from the iPod. At that moment, her phone buzzed from the back pocket of her jeans. She removed it, glancing at the screen to see a text from Elsa.

Elsa was a redheaded girl with a temper as fiery as her hair. Despite this, however, Rory found that she could be quite considerate and understanding if she set her mind to it. She admired the skinny, redheaded girl; in the way she talked, in the way she made art, and in the way her glasses were perfectly framed. Rory was never one to make friends easily, and Elsa was the first person she could actually talk to. The two bonded instantly, always going on about things that no one else seemed to understand. Rory always liked that kind of friendship.

_**Elsa: **_Rory you need to stop.

Rory frowned. She didn't remember texting Elsa.

_**Her: **_What are you talking about?

_**Elsa: **_You haven't talked to me in forever and I really miss you friend.

A smile pulled at the muscles of Rory's mouth as she sat down beside her bag on the "mahogany" sofa. She crossed her legs as she quickly typed her response:

_**Her: **_I really miss you too friend. I've just been busy.

_**Elsa: **_You're always busy and you don't even have a job.

Rory bit her lip. Elsa wouldn't understand, no matter how many times she attempted to explain.

_**Her: **_I'm still busy.

Elsa didn't respond as quickly as Rory thought she would. Rory wondered why she couldn't remember their previous conversation. Awaiting her redheaded friend's response, she scrolled through previous texts:

_**Her: **_:-(

_**Elsa: **_What's wrong? ):

_**Her: **_I hate myself.

_**Elsa: **_Don't hate yourself, Rory, it's not healthy.

_**Her: **_I'm sorry. I just do.

_**Elsa: **_It's fine.

_**Her: **_No, it's not.

_Read at 11:17 pm_

_**Elsa: **_Hey you wanna hang out with Micah, Zoe and I tonight? We're gonna go to that really-supposed-to-be-freaky corn maze!

_Read at 2:23 pm_

_**Elsa: **_seriously dude it's been like two weeks since I've seen you.

_Read at 3:13 pm_

_**Elsa: **_Aurora Lainhart you better answer me this instant!

_**Her: **_hi.

_**Elsa: **_Geez thanks for responding for the last two weeks. You missed the corn maze. Micah literally pissed herself.

_**Her: **_I'm sorry.

_**Elsa: **_It's fine! But we seriously need to hang out, please.

_**Her: **_Maybe, I'm busy.

_**Elsa: **_You're always busy.

_**Her: **_I guess.

_**Elsa: **_What's wrong, Rory?

_**Her: **_I'm fine.

_**Elsa: **_No you're not.

_Read at 6:15 pm_

_**Elsa: **_but anyways, we don't have to do scary things if you don't want to. We can go to Disneyland or something.

_**Her: **_We don't even live in California, El.

_**Elsa: **_Whatever. We can go to that one carnival that's supposed to come to town and play Disney music real loud. Still get the same feel.

_Read at 6:20 pm_

_**Elsa: **_or we don't have to do anything.

_Read at 6:22 pm _

_**Elsa: **_dude are you fucking kidding me. I'm trying to help you.

_**Her: **_I know. I'm sorry.

_Read at 6:24 pm _

Finally Rory's phone buzzed once more.

_**Elsa: **_What's going on with you, Rory?

_**Her: **_I'm fine, Elsa.

_**Elsa: **_No, you're not. I've known you since freshman year of college, Rory. Randomly dropping out of college for no specific reason isn't healthy, especially since you were one of the smartest girls in our sorority.

_**Her: **_Sorry.

_**Elsa: **_Stop that. Stop apologizing for yourself.

_**Her: **_sorry…

_**Elsa: **_Jesus. Ror. Get a hold of yourself. Why didn't you tell me you were depressed?

Rory stared at the response. She probably called her parents to ask why Rory hadn't been texting or wanting to hang out, and they probably told her the whole story in wrong context.

_**Her: **_it's not something to be proud of.

_**Elsa: **_I'm sorry, Rory. I've been a real bitch.

_**Her: **_No you haven't.

_**Elsa: **_Yeah I have. I'm just… mad at myself. I should have noticed you had the symptoms. How could I have not known my best friend was suffering?

_**Her: **_I'm not suffering, El.

_**Elsa: **_Why don't you want me to help you? Why don't you want your parents to help you?

Rory's fingers were shaking now. She stared at the bright little screen before her, continuing to read over the words Elsa had just typed. She hated when people attempted to understand what she would go through, and she hated when they wouldn't play out the "fake empathy" like they were supposed to and ended up telling her things like: "you need help, Rory." "Have you seen a psychologist yet?" "Maybe you should take more of those 'happy pills' or something." "Everyone goes through tough times every now and then - you'll get over it." "Why won't you accept the help you need?"

She didn't like to feel she was burden. She didn't want to throw on her emotions to anyone and make them assume that she was some depressed freak: she didn't want to be a freak. She wanted to be normal. She wanted to go back to college. She wanted to fall in love and have a normal life. She wanted a nice husband, two twins, a gorgeous, homey house and a cute little tulip garden growing in the corner of her property.

Rory's phone buzzed again, but this time it wasn't Elsa.

_**Mom: **_Sweetie would you mind coming to visit us this Tuesday?

_**Her: **_I'm busy.

_**Mom: **_You still haven't found a job yet Aurora.

_**Her: **_I know. I'm working on it.

_**Mom: **_Rory, we want to help you.

There were those words again. Rory was half-tempted to type _maybe I don't want your help _but decided to hold it, like the many times before.

_**Her: **_I know.

_**Mom: **_Well, your dad and I miss you. And Natalie says you haven't come to visit her and Mark either.

_**Her: **_She hasn't asked.

_**Mom: **_Your sisters. You shouldn't need to ask.

Rory was half-tempted to correct her foreign mother on her small grammar mistake, but decided to hold that in as well.

_**Her: **_Well I don't want to be intruding.

_**Mom: **_You won't. She miss you.

_**Her: **_Fine. I'll call her later today.

_**Mom: **_Good. Love you.

_**Her: **_Love you too.

Rory threw her phone to the other side of the sofa, groaning in exasperation. She just wanted people to leave her alone, but at the same time she wanted the help they continued to offer.

She just wanted to be normal.

She could feel tears begin to blur her vision. She blinked her eyes quickly, standing up. _Not today, not today, not today. _She didn't want to cry; she had already cried every day the last week and wanted to start the new week with a fresh start - no tears, no self-pity. Just living the normal life that every other person in the world lives.

Her phone buzzed again from the couch but Rory didn't go to it. Instead, she sat down on one of the three stools seated in front of the kitchen-bar mounted in the small kitchen area she had. She ran her hands through her dark hair, staring at the cheap, fake marble of the countertop. She examined every little detail of the black, grey and pale white grains, picking out a few brown colours every now and then. Her phone buzzed once more. She still didn't go to it. It was probably Elsa, or Micah this time, or maybe even Nat, telling her that she needs to come visit immediately because the two twins - Liberty and James - are finally three years old and want to meet her so badly.

Rory continued to stare at the faux marble.

This time, _Ramble On _by Led Zeppelin began to play from her phone. She let the ringtone die down, not even the old-fashioned music bringing some happiness to the girl slumped over the kitchen table. She was having another "episode" as her sister, Natalie, would call it: "_a point in time in which my cute baby sister gets the worse case of sadness, helplessness and hatred for herself all in one." _

The phone rang again. Rory attempted to cover her ears with her hands, shutting her eyes tightly. _Ramble On _was no longer playing, but _Hey Jude. _The song Natalie had set as her personal ringtone whenever she'd call Rory. Despite the two girls being eight years apart, their mother would sing the song to them together anyway, even when Rory was five and Natalie was thirteen to when Rory was thirteen and Natalie was twenty-one. She let the ringtone die down as well, and almost instantly it started up again.

Finally getting sick of hearing the Beatles playing throughout her apartment she stormed over to the phone, answering it. "What."

It took a while for Natalie to answer before she heard her say, "okay you fucker, you're coming to visit Mark and I tomorrow at 10:49, because I know it agitates you when I say time like that instead of saying 10:50. Liberty and James are dying to meet you, and by dying, I mean they won't stop nagging Mark and I about it eight times every day: that's 56 times a week, Rory!"

Rory scoffed. She found it hard to imagine that someone could be _dying _to meet her. She assumed Natalie was exaggerating, attempting to butter her up so she'd feel more obliged to go and visit.

"I also miss my baby sister a lot. And by a lot, I mean we're going to go to that one cupcake place - all five of us - and order as much sweets as we can and binge eat all of them."

Rory sighed. "I'd love to, Nat, but I'm too-"

"Shut the fuck up." Natalie snapped almost instantly. "You and I both know you're not busy with shit. So you're dragging your ass from your musky apartment to my house pronto or else I'll do it myself."

She knew that Natalie wouldn't take no for an answer - besides, she didn't want to piss off her sister like she did to Elsa. "Fine… I'll go. But only if you buy me all the cupcakes I want."

Natalie teasingly sighed exasperatedly, "fine, but don't forget that you, Liberty and James are sharing."

Rory half-smiled a finally 'truly and utterly happy smile'. "Deal. See you tomorrow."

Natalie hung up without saying goodbye.


	3. three

At around 9:20 am, the inconsistent sound of the default alarm on Rory's clock agitated her needless to say. After listening to it go off for around ten more seconds, she finally rolled over onto her other side, stretching her arm out and pressing the snooze button. She sighed, closing her eyes for a few more moments. "I need to change that alarm," she mumbled to no one in particular, a yawn overtaking her. She rubbed the sleep from her eyes as she sat up in the bed, staring sleepily at nothing. She fell backwards once more against her soft pillow (the one with the pillowcase covered in stars that she's had since she was three) and shut her eyes for what seemed like a few more minutes.

When she opened her eyes again she glanced at her phone. She blinked lazily, scrolling through some messages from her Aunt Millie and Micah until she finally glanced at the alarm clock beside her. Her eyes widened in shock as digital red numbers stared back at her: 10:23.

"Shit!" she exclaimed, scrambling out of her covers that seemed to stick to her exposed skin. Tumbling onto the floor from her spot-on coordination, she attempted to untangle herself from the sheets as she hopped back to her feet, running towards the small bathroom. She gave herself a quick look in the mirror, contemplating if she had enough time to take a quick shower and let her hair air dry or just go as is. After deciding that the top of her head looked too greasy (although she had showered just yesterday - there were times when Rory completely detested her dark hair) to pass off as a I-haven't-showered-in-one-day-I-promise, she quickly threw off her tank top and shorts, along with her undergarments as she entered the shower. Quickly lathering the shampoo on her hair, she rinsed off, stepping out of the shower and wrapping the dark olive-coloured towel around herself as she picked her brush off the countertop, quickly combing through the tangles. After that was done, she rushed back to her room, running towards the closet, nearly slipping on the wooden floor from the water still dripping from the ends of her hair and onto the floor.

She opened the closet, quickly deciding to pull out her favourite band-tee (can never go wrong with the Beatles on a day like this), her black leather jacket handed down from her father, dark skinny jeans and her black converse. She attempted to put on all the new clothing, glancing over her shoulder at the alarm clock positioned on her bedside table. She squinted at the numbers as she clipped on the new bra. It was now 10:38.

"Shit, shit, shit," she muttered to herself as she attempted to throw on the rest of her clothing. She had spent about five minutes attempting to jump into her jeans and was now tying her converse. She glanced at the clock once more. 10:43 stared back at her.

She jumped to her feet, hopping awkwardly in her high tops. She made it to the bathroom once more, staring at her reflection. She didn't have time to put on makeup. She stared at her face - a few blemishes were scattered across her face that she would have preferred to cover up with concealer and foundation, but she knew she barely had time to do so. She ran back to her bedside table, unhooking her phone from its charger as she scrolled through it. Natalie hadn't commented yet on how she hadn't arrived, although she only had six minutes to get to her house - and she had to walk.

Until she was out the door she realized she had forgotten to put socks on. She hesitated, wondering if she really needed the socks or if she could go without them for one day. She moved her toes around the shoes, feeling slightly exposed. After glancing back at her phone to see the time, however, it was no wonder she didn't fall down the stairs as she exited the apartment at the speed she was going.

She ran down the street, avoiding some fellow passerbyes as she turned the corner. She glanced at her phone: 10:46. She sighed, wishing she were a better runner. If there was one thing her older sister detested, it was being tardy. And although Natalie's home wasn't very far from Rory's apartment, Rory was a slow girl in general - whether it was walking, running, or attempting to understand a joke. As she crossed the street (after looking both ways before racing across, Rory wasn't raised in the jungle), making a left at the next curb, she glanced at her phone: 10:52.

When Rory looked up once more she skidded to a halt. Red and blue lights were flashing and around four cars were parked in front of Natalie's house. Rory stared as she slowed to a walk as she neared the scene. The familiar yellow police tape was blocking entrance into Natalie's house. Shivers ran up and down Rory's spine as she quickened her pace to a jog as she saw two body bags being brought out from the house. She attempted to cross the tape, only to be stopped by one of the policemen.

"Ma'am, I'm going to have to ask you to step back," he said, shoving her away with ease.

"This is my _sister's _house, you ass!" Rory snapped, attempting to pass him once more, tears blurring her vision. As she struggled to pass the hefty, larger man tiny hands tugged at her side. She glanced down to see the familiar blue eyes of James. His twin sister Liberty stood beside him, both of their eyes red and puffy. Rory knelt down in front of them so she was eye-level. She had never met the twins, but the images of Mark and Natalie (such as James' having Natalie's eyes and Liberty having Mark's nose) ghosted their appearance.

"Y-You're Rory, right?" Liberty asked, her voice shaky. Rory nodded.

"Can you tell me what happened?" she asked, regretting it almost immediately as the two burst into tears. After getting into another argument with the same policeman as before (involving things such as "get those two to be quiet" and "haven't you done enough? Can't you see those two are scarred?"), Liberty and James had disappeared. Rory frowned, looking around frantically for her niece and nephew until she found them being interrogated by two men. Her entire body shaking all over, Rory made her way to the men. They appeared to be FBI agents, although she could tell by their attire their suits couldn't have been over $45 at the most. They hadn't noticed her.

"And what did you do after you heard the noise?" the taller one asked, his voice calm. Liberty was shaking and sobbing violently while James remained silent, staring off, his eyes red from previous tears.

The two waited patiently for the twins' response until finally James spoke, "Libby called 911 and I decided to be the brave one and go exploring. Lib' said that I shouldn't but Mom already said that Aunt Rory was coming to visit and she had to get up early so I thought maybe she dropped that hairdryer thing or somethin'."

The tall one nodded while the other agent seemed to be staring at the house, squinting at it as he scanned every inch of it.

"I checked the upstairs bathroom first but no one was in there. Dad wasn't anywhere either. I thought maybe they were in their room but I didn't want to go in there. The door was closed so I stood near it but I was careful not to stand right in front of the doorway," James added. The agent nodded to show he was listening.

"It was really quiet… but sorta like a dead quiet," James continued. "I knew that Mom and Dad were awake at 8:00 because they woke Libby and I early at 9:30 since Aunt Rory was coming over… and I heard footsteps nearing the door so I hid in the closet across from the room. I knew it wasn't Mom or Dad so I held my breath until I heard them go downstairs and slam the front door closed." His voice was beginning to shake while Rory stared at the ground. "I heard sirens and I knew Lib had called the police so I decided to look in the bedroom since that man or whatever left the door open and-" his voice cut off as he joined in with Liberty's sobbing, enhancing the noise. "I heard the policeman say something about it being 10:50," he attempted to choke out before his voice continued to join the mournful wails of his sister.

"Can you tell us anything more?" the FBI agent pressed. His partner looked back at the twins as well. "Was it cold? Did you smell anything funny?"

The twins' wailed in response and the green-eyed agent sighed exasperatedly. The agents continued to press the children, urgency flashing in their eyes. Rory stepped forward in front of her niece and nephew, crossing her arms.

"Can we help you?" the green-eyed FBI asked rudely.

"Yeah. Leave my niece and nephew alone. I have no clue what kind of FBI agents you are but-" Rory's voice trailed off as she glanced back at the house. She had trouble wrapping the matter around her head. Natalie was dead. Tears began to stream down her cheeks as she continued to think about it: her happy, family-oriented, cussing-too-often, beautiful inside and out sister was dead. Mark was gone too. And now Liberty and James were orphaned. A choking noise came from Rory as the tears continued to stream uncontrollably.

"Did you have any relations to Mr. and Mrs. Reynolds… Miss-uh…." the tall one's voice trailed off as he stared at the broken family sympathetically.

"N-Natalie was m-my sister," Rory managed to choke out. Liberty and James were now clinging to either side of Rory, all three of them crying ugly tears.

"I am deeply sorry about your sudden loss," the agent continued, exchanging a look with his partner. HIs hazel eyes met Rory's brown as he added, "do you know if Mr and Mrs Reynolds had any enemies? Someone who would try to get-"

"Are you suggesting someone purposely did this?" Rory snapped. She felt the twins grip onto her even tighter at the thought of their parents being murdered by someone in vengeance. "Natalie is the sweetest person ever - everyone loved her. And Mark was always volunteering to help endangered animals and helping conserve the planet. Who would hate them?"

The agents sighed. "This is my card," the taller one said, handing it to her. "Call me if you can figure out anything."

Rory nodded, staring at the black lettering: _Agent Walker - 671 9951. _When she looked up again the agents were walking towards the front door, flashing their badges to the policeman who let them through without question. Rory continued to watch them as they stopped in front of the doorway, looking around the pushes and under the _Welcome _mat. Rory's brow furrowed in confusion as she watched the two search the front porch. _What are they looking for? _

Rory wiped her tear stained face as James and Liberty were ushered away by a few interviewers and policemen, pestering them with questions. On a normal day, Rory would have dragged them back to her place so they could be freed from thinking about their horrendous experience: but the thought of Natalie and Mark dead was too much for her to comprehend. As she gripped tightly onto the small information card Agent Walker had given her, she noticed her hands were shaking. She glanced back at the house. The agents had disappeared into it.

Her phone was beginning to buzz inconsistently with incoming texts. She felt numb all over, however, and didn't give it a second thought. She glanced back at the card, the tiny black print staring back at her. "A-Agent Walker?" she called, looking up and racing towards the house.

**/**

**man that's sort of a rushed ending I apologize for that. I've been really swamped with homework & studying… but thank you so much for the reviews! it honestly made my day:-) hope you all enjoyed this chapter & I'd really appreciate some criticism - such as things I could do better, what you really like about the story, etc. :-) thanks again & i hope you have a wonderful day. **


	4. four

Castiel stepped through the doors of _Topped Off, _following in suit of Sam and Dean. He looked around the shop casually, however, he was looking for one dark-haired girl in particular. His gaze finally landed on the window seat area where she was always seated, but at this moment, an unfamiliar blonde sitting with another male of the same age were laughing about references Castiel didn't understand.

"You want anything Sammy?" Dean asked. As Sam shook his head no in response, Dean looked at trenchcoated man. "How 'bout you, Cas?"

Castiel shrugged, his mind mostly focused on the reason _why _the girl wasn't present in the shop. Although he was quite aware that the girl must have better things to do than spend all her evenings in a vintage coffee shop, he still found it odd. Her absence related to removing a familiar painting off the wall: it just didn't look right.

As the line shortened the dingling of the bell tied to the door sounded behind the three. Castiel didn't bother to look back, but instead looked up at the menu. His eyebrow creased at reading the items. He wondered what kind of drink she ordered. She seemed like the type who would enjoy caramel flavors, but then again, she also seemed like she would enjoy fruit flavors as well.

Or maybe she never ordered the coffee, but got the smoothies. Perhaps she always ordered the hot chocolate, even when it was a blistering hot summer day. The sound of an unfamiliar voice distracted the angel from his deeply concerning thoughts.

"Agent Walker?" she asked. The three looked over their shoulders to see Castiel's all-familiar-yet-unfamiliar mystery girl. She had braided a strand of her dark hair while the rest was kept down and was now sporting a band shirt and black leggings, followed with a silver locket dangling from her neck. Sam stepped forward, and she let out an awkward laugh.

"Guess agents have to eat once-in-awhile, huh?" he grinned.

She smiled her usual, non genuine smile as she nodded in agreement. An awkward silence followed from the cutoff and Castiel shifted uncomfortably. Now he understood Dean whenever he'd tell the angel that he was the literal, walking epitome of 'awkward silence'. The feeling made him distressed, needless to say.

Sam cleared his throat, sensing the awkward vibe as he nodded towards the menu. The girl seemed to have found a topic to continue on as she said, "how is the investigation with my sister going?"

"As bright as the sun," Dean answered. Sam closed his eyes, exasperation obviously emanating off the younger brother in waves. Castiel remained silent, looking back at the two Winchesters to the girl. She seemed unfazed by Dean's response as she added, "I've been asking around - even asking my parents - and they won't even consider the thought that Nat was killed by someone intentionally."

Castiel's brow creased in confusion as he exchanged looks with the Winchesters, obviously stating 'when-were-you-going-to-tell-me-this-valuable-information?' Another uncomfortable pause followed until Sam asked, "how are you coping, Miss Lainhart?"

The girl's nose crinkled in slight disgust as she shook her head, laughing slightly. "Please, call me Rory. Miss Lainhart makes me sound like an old librarian."

Castiel couldn't help but marvel how delicate her nose's features were. He wondered if when she were truly laughing, did it crinkle like the edges of her eyes would?

"I think the term would be, _sexy _librarian, sweetheart," said Dean, a smirk gracing his appearance. His arms were crossed as his green eyes scanned the girl up and down. Castiel felt his jaw clench at the sight. He looked away, attempting to distract himself with the environment surrounding him. He watched as the couple from before were now arguing about which OTP was better (_OTP? Is that some sort of new drug young teenage adolescents are making? _he wondered). Dean was always treating women in the same, coquette, unseemly way. Why was this girl any different?

Castiel looked back to see Rory meet Dean's gaze evenly. "And I think the term for you would be perverted, narcissistic jackass, _agent." _

Dean's smile faltered as he opened his mouth to retort (or redeem himself, Castiel was usually confused about the way Dean would handle his 'flirting'. Or at least, that's what he called it - that confused Castiel as well, since it usually seemed like he was attracting them for sexual desires), but it appeared as if he couldn't come up with a good enough comeback (or casual response, either way - Dean was Dean).

"I apologize for my partner's comment, Rory," Sam sighed as they stepped forward as the line continued to minimize. "He's a little off when he hasn't eaten for the past three hours."

Dean made a face, looking as if he was going to say something to make him sound 'not-so-terrible', but decided best about it and turned away, muttering something underneath his breath that Castiel couldn't quite catch. He looked back at Rory, looking at the little features of her face while she continued to speak with Sam about her sister.

She had light skin. Somewhat peachy in contrast to yellow.

Her jaw was rounded and her cheekbones were high. Her cheeks were also chubbier than most women her age would be sporting - gave her a somewhat younger appearance.

Her eyes were brown.

Her top lip was thinner than her bottom lip and were slightly chapped. Castiel watched as they moved, then realized she was speaking to him. An awkward silence followed as he realized she was now waiting for his response. He looked back at Sam and Dean, hoping that either of them would help. Dean was checking out the menu (or the barista) while Sam stood by stiffly.

"Um," said Cas gruffly.

"Agent Smith," Sam intervened. "He's an intern at the moment, but Agent Miles and I thought it would be good practice for him to get to know the program."

Rory raised an eyebrow. "So flannel shirts and parading around a coffee shop is 'part of the program'?"

Sam shrugged, giving a sort of 'yeah-I-guess' mumble in response. Rory laughed lightly, the tops of her cheeks pinking slightly. "Sorry, I shouldn't have judged. Don't know much about the FBI anyway."

The two continued to chat, sporting friendly conversation. Castiel glanced back at Dean, who now moved up to the front of the line and was starting conversation with the barista. She smiled in response, tucking a loose strand of blonde hair behind her ear. Castiel had seen the action quite often. He looked over his shoulder to see Rory do the same thing. He wondered if it were a subconscious response.

After about a few minutes of the people in the back of the line yelling at Dean (who, at the moment, was attempting to gain the barista's number), the older Winchester brother finally took note to the complaints, ordering three coffees, a salad for Sam and a BLT for himself. The barista wrote down the order, handed the note to another person and started to brew the coffee.

"You aren't going to order anything?" asked Sam as the line moved forward, Dean handing the freshly brewed coffee to his brother and Castiel. Rory simply shook her head, following them out of the line.

"I only came here to sit where I usually do but…" Her voice trailed off as she glanced towards the window-seat. The couple was still seated there, now showing public displays of affection. She sighed, a small smile crossing her face. "I guess I'll head out, now."

"So soon?" Castiel asked without thinking. Sam and Dean exchanged a look while the pink color returned to Rory's cheeks.

"Um, yeah. My parents are flying out from Seattle since Nat and Mark's funeral is three days from now…" Her voice trailed off awkwardly as she added, "It was nice meeting you, Agent Smith." She nodded to Sam and Dean. "It was great seeing you two again. Bye." She waved, turning swiftly on her heel before passing the line and out the door.

Castiel recollected his thoughts. What had happened to her sister? He turned around as Dean and Sam lead him to a booth. Dean sat across from Sam and Cas as the angel looked at them accusingly. "What killed her sister?" he mumbled.

"We don't know yet," Dean answered as Sam pulled out his laptop. He turned the portable computer on, waiting for the loading screen. "Sam thinks it's a demon but who knows - could've been a shapeshifter… Maybe just a sick, twisted human."

"Was it just her sister who was killed?" asked Castiel.

"No, Mark - her sister's husband - was killed, too. They had two children, Liberty and James…" Sam's voice trailed off as he began typing something in the search engine. "I can't think of anything that would just kill two parents and leave the kids behind."

"That's what I was saying." Dean bit into the BLT, his mouth full as he added, "just a sick, twisted human."

"Did you find any traces? Such as sulfur, maybe even a hex bag?" Castiel inquired.

"No, but we didn't really have warrant to search the entire house," Sam answered, scrolling through some local articles. "There isn't a pattern showing up either. Mark and Natalie's kill-story isn't even on the local news. It's almost like it didn't happen."

Dean sighed contently. "This is a good burger," he commented. Castiel exchanged a look with Sam, who merely rolled his eyes in response as he continued to scroll through his research.

"Y'know," Dean started as he wiped his mouth with a paper napkin. "I was a little bit hesitant about this shop - thought it was just this dumb, vintage coffee shop - but damn. Sammy, you gotta try this BLT." He lifted up the remains of his burger.

Sam didn't look away from the computer screen, let alone respond. Dean shrugged, nestling into the back cushion of the booth as he muttered a "suit yourself" and continued to delve into his 'god-given' food.

'The only articles showing up just say how there have been some reports from local neighborhoods stating there were house-breakins, but no one ever reported killings or stolen items." Sam summarized as he continued to scroll through the article. "Just says that the kids witnessed it."

"Is there any creature we know of that only children can see?" asked Castiel. Sam shook his head 'no' in response as he continued to look through the articles. After a few moments of silence, Sam had finally come across an article worthy of valuable information.

"There was a similar killing like Natalie and Mark's just a few blocks down the street from where they live… Said the two families were close friends and the murders happened a few days after our case…" Sam's voice trailed off as he continued to read the paragraphs. "And get this - says the same thing Rory said about her sister and Mark: Angela and Daniel were both involved with similar programs like Natalie and Mark - conserving the planet, starting fundraisers for endangered species, et cetera... " His brow furrowed as he read the last paragraph. "Says that they had a son about ten years old and a girl around seven… The two said the same thing Liberty and James alibied… Strange man… same kill…"

"Are you sure there was no sulfur or hex bags hidden _anywhere _at the houses?" Castiel asked once more.

Sam exchanged a look with Dean before closing the laptop. "Guess there's only one way to find out."

**/**

**thank you all so much for the past reviews, follows and favs for this story - i'm so glad you all are liking it so far. :-) don't forget to leave a review and I apologize for how it took for this chapter to come out... high school is literal hell. **


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